Chad's Worship Blog
by Chad Winterfeldt, Music Director
October 12, 2009
This installment of my worship notes comes from an article in CrossAccent, which is the journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. ALCM is a pan-Lutheran organization; therefore topics address a broad spectrum of interests among Lutheran church bodies. Recently, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod produced a new supplemental hymnal, which appears to be similar in scope, size, and purpose as that of With One Voice. A very informative article, written by Bryan Gerlach, introduced the new supplement to the readers of CrossAccent. Gerlach is the Administrator for the WELS Commission on Worship, thus, the title “Christian Worship: Supplement – An Insider’s View” is appropriate.
Gerlach discusses the new liturgical settings in the supplement, and in the course of discussion, offers these thoughts about Luther, Liturgy, and Christian Freedom:
Martin Luther was a champion of the liturgy because it put the focus on Christ’s gifts to us in the means of grace. Luther wrote, “Among Christians the whole service should center in the Word and sacrament” (LW 53:90). Many orders of service were composed in the early Reformation era. The quality of these services, however, was inconsistent. So Luther produced two services – one in Latin, one in German – that set a standard for Lutheran worship. Luther had no intention of imposing his rites on the church, but he did desire to offer a good model for public worship.
Luther was also a champion of Christian freedom. Nowhere is this better seen than in his approach to worship. Although he retained a liturgical outline for his two services, he didn’t bind himself slavishly to its form. The Gloria could be omitted if the pastor saw fit. Hymn paraphrases could replace the traditional texts of the Creed and Sanctus. The elevation could be included or omitted. He made no legalistic requirements: “Do not make it (i.e. the German service) a rigid law to bind or entangle anyone’s conscience, but use it in Christian liberty as long, when, where, and how you find it to be practical and useful” (LW 53:61).
Luther’s model of freedom also exemplified wisdom. He avoided an every-man-for-himself mentality. He encouraged brotherly agreement to use similar rites for the sake of the laity, who could be easily confused if every parish followed its own order: “As far as possible we should observe the same rites and ceremonies, just as all Christians have the same baptism and the same sacrament [of the altar] and no one has received a special one of his own from God” (LW 53:61).
Next installment: Musical participation in worship – some surprising observations!
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October 1, 2009
Question: "Why don't we sing the Kyrie and Canticle of Praise every Sunday at First Lutheran?"
Answer: These two parts of the liturgy are part of the "ordinary" of the Mass, which means for centuries, they were always incorporated during Eucharistic celebrations. The "propers" of the Mass varied from celebration to celebration, so that the proper texts spoken or sung related specifically to the theme of the day. We hear a "proper" text when the cantor sings alone a biblical text during the Alleluia, or Gospel Acclamation.
Regarding liturgy, Lutherans are guided by statements in the Augsburg Confession and the Apology, such as:
"The Mass is retained among us and is celebrated with the greatest reverence."
"We keep traditional liturgical forms such as the order of the lessons, prayers, vestments, etc."
With these statements in mind, we could be bound to singing all parts of the "ordinary" every week. But a brief look at the history of the formation of the ordinary shows that the Kyrie and the Canticle of Praise (almost always the "Glory to God") developed as part of an elaborate entrance rite the pope used to make into the churches of Rome. The Manual on the Liturgy for the Lutheran Book of Worship notes that "this elaborate rite, designed originally to cover the ceremonies of a papal visit, is far more than is necessary or perhaps even desirable as a constant practice." (211)
In the Leaders Desk Edition of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, the notes on the services encourage flexibility and caution with regard to the gathering (or entrance) rite before Holy Communion. It states:
"The gathering section of the service is marked by flexibility; it may be shaped in a variety of ways. Whatever elements are included, it is important that the gathering rite not overshadow the principal parts of the primary service of the Christian assembly, namely, the proclamation of the word of God and the sharing of the meal of the Lord's supper." (17)
You will note in our Sunday bulletin, we distinguish these parts of the service with bold headings: Gathering, Word, Meal, and Sending.
Next edition: thoughts on Luther, Liturgy and Christian Freedom